Eagles' Jalen Hurts Talks Relationship, Discussions with Peyton Manning

As Jalen Hurts continues to get better each week in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback credits his budding relationship with the Manning family for some of his improvements. 

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Hurts said he and Peyton Manning have maintained a relationship dating back to his time attending the five-time NFL MVP's quarterback camp when he was in high school. 

Hurts explained that one of the things he's learned from Manning is how "detail-oriented" he is about going through everything before games to prepare and on the field before the snap. 

Prior to his sophomore season at Alabama in 2017, Archie Manning had high praise for Hurts' ability coming out of the Manning QB camp. 

"Jalen's a good-looking quarterback, and he threw the ball well," Manning told Matt Zenitz of AL.com. "We really enjoyed having Jalen. He's really a fine young man and a good guy, a really good guy. He worked great with our campers and mixed in so well with our staff. He was one of the favorites. And in all of the throwing sessions, he performed very well."

Hurts wound up transferring to Oklahoma two years later after Tua Tagovailoa established himself as the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback. The move paid off, as the Texas native was named a Heisman finalist after throwing for 3,851 yards, running for 1,298 yards and accounting for 52 touchdowns to help the Sooners make the College Football Playoff. 

The Eagles selected Hurts with the No. 53 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. He finished his rookie season with 1,061 passing yards and 354 rushing yards, while starting the final four games after taking over for Carson Wentz. 

When Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts during the offseason, Hurts was given the keys to Philadelphia's offense in 2021. The 23-year-old has made positive strides this season with a 62.2 completion percentage, 2,159 passing yards, 547 rushing yards. He's accounted for 18 touchdowns through 10 games. 

The Eagles have won two of their last three games in part by not asking Hurts to throw the ball 30 times. He's completed 36 of 54 attempts for 443 yards since Week 8. His running ability has helped the team rack up 526 rushing yards during this three-game stretch. 

Hurts doesn't have to be Manning as a passer to have a positive impact on the game. It's not a bad thing to have one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history offering you pointers every now and then.